


linger on your pale blue eyes

by japastiel



Series: étoiles dans les yeux [1]
Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: AU, Dark, Drug Use, Drugs, M/M, Mentions of Blood, Needles, Recreational Drug Use, club kid au, very dark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-01
Updated: 2013-10-01
Packaged: 2017-12-28 03:01:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/986889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/japastiel/pseuds/japastiel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack is a club kid who sees no end to fun in sight. Koz is a hard working single dad. Koz knows what most club kids are into and what will come with letting Jack into his life, but he just can't help himself. How one night changes three lives forever.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. preface

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Hot Dorks](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/28139) by chiaroscuroterror. 
  * Inspired by [Hot Dad/Club Kid AU](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/28141) by Linddzz. 



> title is from the velvet underground

          The night in the club shouldn't have ended the way it did. Cold hands pressing a folded slip of torn napkin with a sharpied number into the back pocket of Koz's pants. Emily rattled on for hours about how she couldn't believe what she saw. Koz reprimanded her for sneaking out with her friend and that she was definitely grounded and didn't bother her shock with a reply.

          Koz knew it was a bad idea when he called Jack up. The coffee and dinner dates turned into something more. Weeks turned into months and before he knew it, Jack had moved into Koz's life and heart.

  
          Sometimes Jack comes over when Koz cooks and goes home to his own apartment. Sometimes Jack stays. Koz loves it when Jack stays. The three of them stay up watching bad reality TV reruns, play scrabble and Jack swears he isn't cheating but he's won every game. Koz scowls a little less every time. It's almost like they've formed a small, although slightly dysfunctional family. Emily gets along with Jack. They talk about cars, motorcycles and pop music Koz has never heard of. They even tried to cook once. Koz still hasn't removed the burned smell from the kitchen walls.

          Koz loves it when Jack stays and when Jack falls asleep in Koz's too-long flannel pajama bottoms. But Koz's heart breaks one sweaty night terror at a time. Sometimes he wonders if he even knows Jack at all. He wonders why Jack bleaches all color from his hair that gets too long and falls into the brightest pale blue eyes Koz has ever seen. He doesn't know the reasons Jack screams, but he has suspicions.

          They spend time together in and out of the clubs Jack frequents. Koz agrees because he can't _not_ go. Jack would go anyway and Koz is terrified if he isn't by his side, Jack may not come back. The theatrics of the club kids don't bother him. He even likes the elaborate outfits; slowly the music grows on him. Jack tries to hide behind the glamour of glitter dust and music.

          Koz sees the signs. He knows Jack isn't in control. He has outbursts and his moods fluctuate erratically. If Koz wasn't already so entangled into Jack's life, he'd find a way to extract Jack from his life. From his daughters life. He knows what kids like Jack do. He knew Jack wasn't different. He hates himself more for letting himself get lost in Jack's dreamworld. 

          Jack knows that Koz knows, but he denies it anyway. He denies it to himself. _It isn't a problem, it's fun. He's fine. It's all fine._ Jack never sleeps the whole night through.


	2. chapter one

          Jack shoulders his way past warm, sweaty bodies huddled around the glowing lights of the bar. He leans over a girl in nothing more than glitter and thigh high boots and steals a shot of tequila from the edge of a tray before pushing his way into the back changing room. It's dim, the Hollywood style vanity bulbs have seen brighter days and at least half of them need to be replaced. They still manage to mock the patrons with their lifeless dreams of glamour and fame while they cut razor clean lines. The hazy white coat over the mirrored table tops doesn't get in the way of lipstick touch-ups and hair spray fixes.

          Jack looks into the mirror and rubs away smudged eyeliner covering circles from too many all-nighters. He grins smearing more eyeliner on under his hollow eyes. He knows his smile never reaches that far anymore. He glances up and sees Koz trying to hide in the shadows. Jack hopes he sees the grin and believes it. Jack doesn't. He snatches a sticky can of hairspray from his red-nailed mirror neighbor and sprays viciously at his rough bleached-roots. He shakes his head into a state of unruly chaos and smirks again at the mirror.

"Thanks doll." he hands the hairspray back.

She licks her lips and leers. "Anytime baby."

          Jack throws back his stolen shot. Straight tequila with no lime or salt should burn more, but his entire body is muzzy and numb, he barely feels anything at all. Jack tosses the shot glass on the table top with a clatter and tips over into Koz's corner. The lines Crimson Nails is cutting with learned precision don't go unnoticed. Maybe if he smiles enough it will sink deep enough into his soul to make happiness feel real.

  
"Hey Kozzy," Jack purrs, pressing his chilled fingertips into Koz's warm cotton-covered flanks.

          "Don't call me that," Koz growls, his words drip out so slowly Jack swears he can feel his irritation pulsating. Or maybe that wasn't irritation. Jack presses his thumbs into the divots above Koz's hips and grins.. Maybe it's just the bass. But it doesn't matter, it all feels so good.

          Jack slithers his cold fingers into the back of Koz's tight black pants. He fists the flesh underneath and presses his nose behind Koz's ear, nuzzling into his warm neck.

  
"I think you like it," he husks out in an playful sing-song.

          Koz leans down, blinding him with pitch black hair spiked into an unnatural coif than any horror villain would be proud to own. Jack's trance is broken when his tattooed wrists are swiftly removed and pinned behind him with one large hand. Jack sometimes forgets that Koz was a military man with unexpected talents. Jack pants into Koz's neck. He couldn't deny that all of this is a huge turn on.

          Koz jerks away, but his steady glare is broken when a piece of unruly hair slips out and falls over his eyes. Jack bubbles with laughter leaning into Koz, chest to chest. 

"Not a word." Koz huffs smoothing the disobedient piece back into place..

"I would never." Jack picks at the wall behind him to keep his hands from shaking.

"You would actually." Koz glowers as Jack smiles brightly.

"Yeah, actually I totally would. But I won-- " he pauses and muses, "Actually, buy me a shot and I won't."

Koz deadpans, "Bribing me?"

"Is it working?" Jack presses his hips into Koz's thigh and slips his tongue teasingly through his teeth.

"Yes." Koz admits, rolling his eyes, "Tequila?"

          "Nah, get that really strong mint stuff," Jack is delighted by Koz's grimace and adds, "and see if they have those little ice cube shot glasses too!" Jack slips out from under his watchful stare, trailing his hand over Koz's bare tattooed arms to avoid any eye contact.

          Koz shakes his head as Jack disappears through the bustling crowd toward the crimson clawed girl at the mirror, "I'll meet you by the bar in a sec," he nods toward the mirrors, "hair check." The lie slips off his tongue too easily.

Koz shuffles through the drone of the pulsating mob and wonders if he will ever get Jack out alive.


	3. chapter two

          Koz hears the water draining from the tub in the bathroom. He pads across the chilly floor to look inside the open door just ajar enough to see the flickering light of two rapidly melting candles on the bathtub edge. Jack's hair is damp with sweat and he huddles in on himself shivering inside the empty tub. Koz pushes the creaky wood door open slowly, alerting Jack to his presence. Jack's fingers slip in the condensation dripping down the nearly empty glass of ice water he's holding. His too-wide eyes are barely able to focus on Koz.

"Couldn't sleep. Sorry." he whispers through chapped lips. He takes a sip of water. Koz shivers as Jack swallows slowly, his thin neck bobbing dramatically.

          Koz feels disgusted that he finds Jack's pale skin taught over brittle bones, marred up elbow crooks and sleep deprived wide eyes hauntingly attractive. Koz knows if it exists he's going to a special hell for enabling Jack's addiction.

          Koz approaches the tub, each step forward causing Jack to skitter up, as-if on puppet strings, out of the tub stand on his nervous feet. He pulls on the over sized waistband of borrowed flannel pajama pants, exposing his too sharp hipbones baring bruised bite mars Koz is ashamed of. He looks like he's lost more weight. Koz can't look up form the floor  as the sound of metal rattles into the bottom of the tub. Jack freezes and drops the glass falls to the floor.

"Shit, oh, I'm sorry. I didn't-- I hope I didn't wake Emily, Koz I'm-- " he doesn't get to finish.

          Koz steps through the shattered glass and picks Jack up. He couldn't weigh more than nine stone. Koz feels the ever present guilty bile rise in his throat. Jack looks unnatural, almost dead, in the dying candle light. Koz knows he will be completely gone, wasted away right before Koz's eyes if nothing changes.

          They reach the bed and Koz settles Jack onto the bed gently, his bird-thin legs draped over the edge of the rumpled comforter. Jack toes at the bloody footprint. "Koz, you're bleeding. Let me-- " he feels a firm hand stilling him in his tracks.

          Koz stares hard through him with soggy eyes. "No, Jack. My feet will be fine, it's just a small cut, it'll heal. But you won't, so let me help you. You-- we can't live like this. Please, Jack, I love you, let me help you." His voice cracks and he looks out the window into the moonlit sky. Halo. It might snow.

"I'm fine. I mean, I know what I'm-- "

"No you don't. Listen to me, Jack. I love you. Emily loves you. People _love_ you." he breathes in. Heavy. His lungs feel like they're filled with dirty bath water. These words hurt as they spill past his lips. "Let me--" he chokes and tries again. "I-- please let me in Jack." Koz is lost, no coherent words could possibly form in his throat now. He can't even breathe.

  
Jack curls his legs up and holds on to his narrow bones, he twists his fingers around his knees and if he lets go he may just fall to pieces. Koz watches his nails nearly break the skin and wonders if he has any blood left to bleed.

"Okay-- but, don't tell Emily. Tell her something else. I can't-- I don't want her to know."

Koz nods and curls them under the sheets, ignoring the sweat and blood staining into the white cotton. They sleep as snow falls.

* * *

          They wake up to blood stains and melted down wax, burned spoons and needles in glass. They walk listlessly through a cold blanket of snow. the car ride is perilous over crunching slick ice. the next months are filled with cold sweats, night terrors, more needles and wrist bands. It really is too cold for all of this but spring will be better and Jack can finally sleep.


End file.
